The NBA is investigating a report of an audio recording in which a man purported to be Donald Sterling makes racist remarks while speaking to his girlfriend. (Mark J. Terrill, File, The Associated Press)

Ours is not a color-blind world. Probably never will be, and that in and of itself isn’t all bad. Differences should be seen, acknowledged, understood, and celebrated.

So Clippers owner Donald Sterling is the latest Marge Schott. The Instagram Age Sterling, who keeps himself in the company of minorities, employs them, can even date them if he likes, but wants no hard evidence of himself or those close to him caught doing so.

According to a tape obtained by TMZ, a man who is alleged to be Sterling is heard scolding a female companion – a minority herself – for posting pictures of her with black people on Instagram. “Yeah, it bothers me a lot,” the man said, “that you’re wanting to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”

It’s the kind of fly-on-the-wall stuff that confirmed so much of what we all already thought we knew about that man. It’s nonsensical, to be sure, though not startling in any way given his history, which is dotted with a fine and lawsuits alleging racial discrimination.

Those who work for him surely knew all of this when they signed the contract. And if they didn’t, shame on them for not being aware of the very public history of suspicion and actions of a man whose relationship with African-Americans and other minorities is one he has always wanted to keep at arms’ length.

The NBA has a statement to make. Commissioner Adam Silver has a statement to make. Sterling’s peers, the other 29 owners, have a statement to make. If an investigation into the matter returns full evidence that this was Sterling on the tape, it’s up to Silver – with the full backing and blessing of the other owners – to take swift action against a man who employs the very people he’d rather not associate with and, apparently, is not shy about saying so. He did so privately, but too bad, so sad for him, those thoughts made it to the public domain.

The NBA is a majority black league. That, in and of itself, leads to regular shots taken at the players by ignorant individuals in the general population. The racially-charged content of some emails I’ve been sent over the course of the season would make most people’s blood boil.

I’ve chosen to hit the delete button.

The NBA, however, cannot hit the delete button on this. Its very foundation is that of diversity, from Black History Month and Ene-Be-A celebrations to its global initiatives and hugs to an ever-growing number of international players in the league. No other league not associated with soccer is even close to as global and diverse as the NBA is.

This is a slap in the face to that.

And though it is the preference of some that Clippers players boycott a game or multiple games, I don’t think they should and they have said they won’t. They are the biggest victims of all of this – an NBA Finals-caliber team trying to focus on a playoff run now being forced to choose on the fly to whether to throw away all they’ve worked for, and being pelted with questions about the bigotry of the guy who signs the checks.

But they should play, and win as much as they can, and not be brought down by that man. At its essence, African-American history is a story of rising above. The Clippers players should do just that. They can take a stand after the season is done, if they so choose.

But the NBA has work to do. If the Clippers were to win the title, Sterling should not be allowed to be anywhere near the podium to accept the Larry O’Brien Trophy. If fans want to boycott games, they should – wholeheartedly and vociferously. It won’t be tolerated, it won’t be ignored; I have no concerns about that. But if we think there aren’t other Sterlings out there, discreetly going about their business of bigotry, then the only fools are us.